The final event of the Otago Chess Club calendar for 2011 was the inaugural Richard Sutton Memorial tournament. Robert Wansink became the first name to be engraved of the Richard Sutton Trophy, generously donated to the club by Kensie Sutton. As top seed he made no contest of it, beaing all-comers to win by a two point margin on 6/6. Sharing a three-way tie for second were club President Terry Duffield, fast-improving junior Leighton Nicholls and the writer.
Today's game features a speculative sacrificial attack and was probably one of the the most imitative of Richard's sharp playing style, if lacking the accuracy of the original. It was played in the final round between two of the runners-up, Duffield with the black pieces against the writer.
1.d4 g6 2.e4 d6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.Be3 Nf6 5.Qd2 ---
Black's choice of opening, the Modern Defence, has two specific drawbacks in that it allows White to establish a pawns centre and it weakens the dark squares on the kingside. White chooses the most direct approach, threatening to exchange dark squared bishops on h6 and castle queenside as a prelude to an attack. Black tries to foil this plan. 5.--- Ng4 6.Bg5 f6?!
Consistent, but cutting off his nose to spite his face – the bishop avoids exchange, but its range is greatly reduced by the pawn. 6...h6 is the normal move. 7.Bf4 e5
Gaining a tempo that could have been avoided by 7 Bh4. 8.dxe5 fxe5 9.Bg5 Bf6
No point in keeping the bishop now. 10.Nf3 h6
Spending another tempo to force the exchange and further weaken the kingside pawns. Simple development with 10...Nc6 was better. 11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12.Bc4 Nbd7 13.O-O-O b6?!
In attempting to solve the problem caused by his previous move blocking the bishop (12...Bg4 first was a more efficient way to develop), Black creates further weaknesses. White misses his chance, however, to dominate the weakened light squares and prevent queenside castling by 14 Bd5! Rb8 since 14...Nxd5? 15 Qxd5 Rb8 16 Qe6+ Qe7 17 Qxg6+ is much worse. 14.Rhe1?! Bb7
Black is behind in development with weak kingside pawns, but thanks to White's inattention, he is about to surmount most of his problems by castling queenside. The closed nature of the position doesn't allow White to stop this plan by normal means, so he gambles on a sacrifice of a pawn and the exchange to trap the black monarch in the centre and open lines against it. 15.Nh4!? Nxe4! 16.Rxe4!? Bxe4 17.Nxe4? ---
Sticking to his original idea, but here the ingenious 17 g3! seems to give White better compensation: e.g. 17... Bb7! (17...Bf5?! 18 Qd5 Rf8 19 Nxf5 gxf5 20 Nb5! threatens 21 Qxa8! and 20...Rb8 21 Qe6+ Qe7 22 Qxh6 Nf6 23 Qg6+ White is getting two pawns plus attack for the exchange) 18 Nxg6 Rh7 19 Bd5! Bxd5! 20 Qxd5 Nf8 21 Qe4 Nxg6 22 Qxg6+ Rf7 23 Qg8+ Kd7 24 Qg4+ bailing out to a draw. 17.--- Qxh4 18.Qd5 Qf4+?
Removing the queen from the key defensive square e7. Simply 18...Rb8! 19 Qf7+ Kd8 20 Qxg6 Qe7 and White's attack is beaten off with little to show for his material deficit. 19.Kb1 Ke7?!
Black puts up token resistance in a very complicated position still with practical chances of defence. After 19...Rb8 20 Bb5! Ke7 21 Nxd6! (If 21 Bxd7 Kxd7 22 Nxd6! c6! 23 Qd3 Black defends with 23...Qd4! 24 Qe2 Kxd6 with 2 rooks for the queen) 21...Rhd8 (21...cxd6? 22 Qxd6+ Kf7 23 Qxd7+ with devastation to follow) 22 g3! Qxf2 23 Bxd7 cxd6 (23...Rxd7 24 Qxe5+ Kf8 25 Qh8+ Ke7 26 Nc8+! wins) 24 Bb5! and the threat of 25 Rf1 wins the black queen. 20.Qe6+ Kd8 21.Bb5?! ---
More convincing was 21 Nxd6! cxd6 22 Qxd6 Rh7 23 Be6 Qa4 24 Qf8+ Kc7 25 Qxa8 with an ongoing attack. Black could have dug in here for the ending after 21...Qf5! 22 Bxd7 Qxe6 23 Bxe6 with a rook and pawn for two pieces. 21.--- Rh7?! 22.Bxd7 Rxd7?
Again 22...Qf7! exchanging queens for the same ending as above was best. Now Black loses a rook, and shortly after the game. 23.Qg8+ Ke7 24.Qxa8 c5 25.Qd5 Qf7 26.Qxf7+ Kxf7 27.Rxd6 Resigns
Wansink wins inaugural Richard Sutton Trophy
Problem: White to play and mate in 2.
The final event of the Otago Chess Club calendar for 2011 was the inaugural Richard Sutton Memorial tournament. Robert Wansink became the first name to be engraved of the Richard Sutton Trophy, generously donated to the club by Kensie Sutton. As top seed he made no contest of it, beaing all-comers to win by a two point margin on 6/6. Sharing a three-way tie for second were club President Terry Duffield, fast-improving junior Leighton Nicholls and the writer.
Today's game features a speculative sacrificial attack and was probably one of the the most imitative of Richard's sharp playing style, if lacking the accuracy of the original. It was played in the final round between two of the runners-up, Duffield with the black pieces against the writer.
1.d4 g6
2.e4 d6
3.Nc3 Bg7
4.Be3 Nf6
5.Qd2 ---
Black's choice of opening, the Modern Defence, has two specific drawbacks in that it allows White to establish a pawns centre and it weakens the dark squares on the kingside. White chooses the most direct approach, threatening to exchange dark squared bishops on h6 and castle queenside as a prelude to an attack. Black tries to foil this plan.
5.--- Ng4
6.Bg5 f6?!
Consistent, but cutting off his nose to spite his face – the bishop avoids exchange, but its range is greatly reduced by the pawn. 6...h6 is the normal move.
7.Bf4 e5
Gaining a tempo that could have been avoided by 7 Bh4.
8.dxe5 fxe5
9.Bg5 Bf6
No point in keeping the bishop now.
10.Nf3 h6
Spending another tempo to force the exchange and further weaken the kingside pawns. Simple development with 10...Nc6 was better.
11.Bxf6 Nxf6
12.Bc4 Nbd7
13.O-O-O b6?!
In attempting to solve the problem caused by his previous move blocking the bishop (12...Bg4 first was a more efficient way to develop), Black creates further weaknesses. White misses his chance, however, to dominate the weakened light squares and prevent queenside castling by 14 Bd5! Rb8 since 14...Nxd5? 15 Qxd5 Rb8 16 Qe6+ Qe7 17 Qxg6+ is much worse.
14.Rhe1?! Bb7
Black is behind in development with weak kingside pawns, but thanks to White's inattention, he is about to surmount most of his problems by castling queenside. The closed nature of the position doesn't allow White to stop this plan by normal means, so he gambles on a sacrifice of a pawn and the exchange to trap the black monarch in the centre and open lines against it.
15.Nh4!? Nxe4!
16.Rxe4!? Bxe4
17.Nxe4? ---
Sticking to his original idea, but here the ingenious 17 g3! seems to give White better compensation: e.g. 17... Bb7! (17...Bf5?! 18 Qd5 Rf8 19 Nxf5 gxf5 20 Nb5! threatens 21 Qxa8! and 20...Rb8 21 Qe6+ Qe7 22 Qxh6 Nf6 23 Qg6+ White is getting two pawns plus attack for the exchange) 18 Nxg6 Rh7 19 Bd5! Bxd5! 20 Qxd5 Nf8 21 Qe4 Nxg6 22 Qxg6+ Rf7 23 Qg8+ Kd7 24 Qg4+ bailing out to a draw.
17.--- Qxh4
18.Qd5 Qf4+?
Removing the queen from the key defensive square e7. Simply 18...Rb8! 19 Qf7+ Kd8 20 Qxg6 Qe7 and White's attack is beaten off with little to show for his material deficit.
19.Kb1 Ke7?!
Black puts up token resistance in a very complicated position still with practical chances of defence. After 19...Rb8 20 Bb5! Ke7 21 Nxd6! (If 21 Bxd7 Kxd7 22 Nxd6! c6! 23 Qd3 Black defends with 23...Qd4! 24 Qe2 Kxd6 with 2 rooks for the queen) 21...Rhd8 (21...cxd6? 22 Qxd6+ Kf7 23 Qxd7+ with devastation to follow) 22 g3! Qxf2 23 Bxd7 cxd6 (23...Rxd7 24 Qxe5+ Kf8 25 Qh8+ Ke7 26 Nc8+! wins) 24 Bb5! and the threat of 25 Rf1 wins the black queen.
20.Qe6+ Kd8
21.Bb5?! ---
More convincing was 21 Nxd6! cxd6 22 Qxd6 Rh7 23 Be6 Qa4 24 Qf8+ Kc7 25 Qxa8 with an ongoing attack. Black could have dug in here for the ending after 21...Qf5! 22 Bxd7 Qxe6 23 Bxe6 with a rook and pawn for two pieces.
21.--- Rh7?!
22.Bxd7 Rxd7?
Again 22...Qf7! exchanging queens for the same ending as above was best. Now Black loses a rook, and shortly after the game.
23.Qg8+ Ke7
24.Qxa8 c5
25.Qd5 Qf7
26.Qxf7+ Kxf7
27.Rxd6 Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1 Nf4+! exf4 (1...Ke7 2 Qd8#) 2 Re1#.